In a bid to beautify Cayman after Hurricane Ivan, a number of ladies have come together to form the Shade Brigade.
A core committee has enlisted the help of women volunteers throughout Grand Cayman who are each growing 10 trees to help make the island greener.
There are now around 80 gardening volunteers involved with the project and the aim is to propagate 1,000 trees by 22 October.
The trees will then be sold for a nominal fee at a plant sale at the tennis club in South Sound on that date.
The trees will be planted around the island and all funds raised will go towards a community project that will involve beautifying the environment.
The Shade Brigade was formed a couple of months ago by Cayman resident Eliza Strachan.
‘A huge number of trees were lost as a result of Ivan and because people have been so stressed out and found themselves in emotional and financial difficulty, a lot of people have not had time or money to think about replacing them,’ she said.
‘The loss of the trees has also meant that a lot of habitats and food for birds and butterflies was lost.
‘There is no shade for people either and, from an aesthetic point of view, the island does not look good.
‘The Shade Brigade saw a need to replace the trees in a cheap and easy way. The objective is not to make money but to get some greenery back onto the island.
‘It is terribly hot at the moment with no shade and the only way to resolve that is to plant trees.
‘The knock-on effects of having no shade extend to the social lives of Cayman residents who no longer want to go out into their gardens.’
On Saturday, Manuel Dequito from Dart Nursery gave a talk to a number of the Shade Brigade ladies about how to propagate trees.
They, in turn, have made notes to pass on to anyone who is interested in becoming involved in the project.
‘This is a real opportunity for people to replace the trees they had in their yards,’ said Ms Strachan.
The majority of trees that the group is propagating are native to Cayman.
They have made a decision not to grow casuarinas as these are repopulating in abundance naturally.
But they are including some species such as Indian almond and the Neem tree which were introduced but have long been integrated into the environment.
Gardening expert Ann Stafford, who is a leading authority on native trees in Cayman, has also been advising the ladies about native species.
Anybody interested in joining the Shade Brigade or who would like further information about planting trees can contact Ms Strachan. by email at [email protected]
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